#1 Be Empathetic - Out of all of the tips for new dads during pregnancy, being empathetic is the most important. If you don't get anything else out of this video, remember this one. Put yourself in her place. Look at the pregnancy from her point of you. Imagine being her. If you can learn to be empathetic during the pregnancy, you are well on your way to the husband hall of fame #2 - Don't Comment on Her Appearance - She may call herself names or comment on how she looks. Say nothing. If you hav...
Jul 30, 2019•11 min
Being a first-time parent is awesome. I was both excited and nervous. I wasn't around kids very much before I had my first child. But you learn quick. Here are some first time parent tips that helped us: 1) Agree on Responsibilities - actually, write it down. Make a daily chart of what you are responsible for. I do the laundry on Tuesday, you get dinner. On Thursday I do the bath, you feed him and put him to bed. My wife and I sat down and had this discussion and understanding what is expected o...
Jul 28, 2019•11 min
We had our son first and then our daughter about 2 years after. And it was different. I couldn't exactly explain it, but the connection a dad has with his daughter is just different than he has with his son. What I'm about to share with you is what I feel is important. This is how to be a dad to a daughter First, Focus on her internal value - When you praise or complement your daughter, try to make it about what is inside. Compliment her on how nice she treats other people, how helpful she is, h...
Jul 16, 2019•14 min
When I think back on my childhood, some of the great memories are the family vacations we took. We went to the mountains, to the beach, on cruises. My parents loved to travel so they would allow us to tag along every once in a while. Do you remember going on family vacations when you were younger? Maybe we took more pictures during vacations so that is why I remember them. I understand not everyone has the financial means to do something extravagant, but getting away with the family can be an aw...
Jul 09, 2019•16 min
We have spoken that gratitude helps with depression. It's hard to be depressed and sad if you are really grateful. Teaching our kids gratitude is valuable for that reason but it also is good manner Raising Grateful Children Project at THE UNIVERSITY of NORTH CAROLINA at CHAPEL HILL http://hussong.web.unc.edu/drrl/rgc/ What we NOTICE in our lives for which we can be grateful How we THINK about why we have been given those things How we FEEL about the things we have been given What we DO to expres...
Jul 02, 2019•20 min
1) Allow them to be bored - stop entertaining them. This forces them to be creative. 2) Limit use of electronics - while some games are creative, watching television doesn't help their creativity 3) Don't solve their problems - ask them questions instead? How can you solve this? Force them to come up with solutions 4) Create an area of the house for play - if you can....whether garage or playroom...allow them a space in which they can call their own and take part in how it looks and what is ther...
Jun 25, 2019•20 min
Nearly all kids experience some form of separation anxiety from 1-3 years old. This is when they get really upset when they see mom or dad leave. Not just upset but really upset. Alan, do you remember having any anxieties as a child? You said you were shy? Do you know why that is? But for some kids, it doesn't stop there. They begin to have additional anxieties. This can be from specific objects, bring around people, animals, sounds. We don't want to be the one eliminating all of the anxieties a...
Jun 18, 2019•23 min
I want to talk about college. When I was growing up, going to college was a given. It really wasn't an option. Both of my parents went to college and it was just what you did. While I didn't realize it at the time, college was something my parents were set on investing in. And sending 3 kids to school was an insane investment and risk. Were they going to get a return on investment? Fortunately they had the means to be able to send us to school. You apply to colleges during high school and you pi...
Jun 11, 2019•22 min
People often think being kind is altruistic...it's not. It makes us feel good. Health Benefits Makes you feel good - Releases serotonin in the brain which improves our mood. Being nice to someone makes us happy. Reduce depression and can calm you down. Spending money on someone else can make you more happy than spending it on yourself Reduces Stress - Get's you to focus on other things rather than worrying about yourself. Prevent illness - Oxycontin release happens when we help others. Oxycontin...
Jun 04, 2019•15 min
Remove distractions - sounds, screens, etc. This can also mean providing them a designated area. Move the body - Run them around - get energy out - moving stimulates the brain. Running club in the mornings. My children's school has rocking chairs for some kids Make a list of tasks - Write everything down. Keep tasks small - Tackle one thing at a time. If you are teaching them to clean their room, start with just cleaning their bed, or focus on a toy bin. Too many tasks can be overwhelming Make i...
May 28, 2019•19 min
In todays podcast we go over the hardest things about parenting. Keeping calm - You may have a stressful day or be in a bad mood and it's difficult to shut that and be happy and present for your kids. Seems kids often get the brunt of the stress and anxiety we feel (at least for me) Balancing work/life - Spending time with kids yet working and/or doing other things that bring you value Knowing how to handle new situations - You are constantly faced with new things, especially as they get older a...
May 21, 2019•25 min
1) Apologizing to them when you do something/say something wrong Let's say you get in an argument with your child. You yell at them and tell them to go to their room. It's really important to apologize for your own behavior and let them know that you could have handled it better. Next time you shouldn't yell and should be more calm when discussing something with them. 2) Making up with your wife (argue and then make up) -You may hide arguments from your kids but they also may not see you make up...
May 14, 2019•14 min
I was listening to a Tony Robbins lecture. He says the #1 way to change your life is to raise your standards. Raise our standards and it will change your life long term. Only thing that creates lasting change. There are bunch of things in life that we want. But we don't get what we want, we get what we have to have. We get what we tolerate. Difference in people is their standards. Should lose weight, should spend time with my kids.....mad at their shoulds When your should becomes a must. When so...
May 07, 2019•21 min
I'm often asked "what's your best advice for new parents". The truth is that there are so many new things happening as a brand new parent, it's hard to digest it all. Sure as a dad, the important parenting advice that you find valuable might be a little different than a mom's. But overall I think these 5 tips will be helpful advice for all new parents. Let's do it. Before we get started I wanted to honestly thank all of you. Your support as a subscriber, comments and feedback, and then the shari...
Apr 30, 2019•17 min
We all want our kids to be have confidence. It's an attractive quality that adults find valuable. It's not something we are necessarily born with. So how can we build confidence in our child? It's easier than you think. But you might not realize that some of the things you are doing are inhibiting your child from becoming confident. In this episode we look at 6 ways that you can help your child build confidence. Confidence is like a muscle. Maybe some people are born with a little bit more of it...
Apr 23, 2019•17 min
Have you ever hear any of these or said any of these to anyone? You big wussy suck it up cry baby You wonder why men have difficulty with emotions. Maybe you cried and were made fun of because of it. or maybe you were scared and had to suppress those feelings in order to feel accepted. In this episode, we are going to understand a little more about why men don't show emotion and then talk about why showing emotion is actually really good for you. I saw a study that was done and it said there are...
Apr 16, 2019•19 min
You know why kids throw temper tantrums? Because they work. We hear the crying, whining, and acting up and we just want it to stop. So we buy them the toy, give them the lollipop, or let them do what they wanted to do before they threw the tantrum. Listen, we have all made these mistakes, but no more. We are going to learn how to STOP (ok maybe just reduce) temper tantrums. Let's do it! Temper tantrums are really common with toddlers... we are talking kids from about age 1-3 years old. Certainly...
Apr 09, 2019•18 min
Being a new father is awesome, but along with the awesome, comes some stress and worrying. Granted, I was a little more uptight than most dads, but if If I look back on my own experience when i was a new father, there are definitely some things that I wish I wasn't as concerned with. So in this episode, I'm going to share with you 6 things that new fathers should't worry about. You have enough things to worry about as a new father. Here are some things you should check off your list and not be c...
Apr 02, 2019•18 min
As a parent you don't like to see your child fail. Whether that's falling down when they first start to walk, doing horrible on a test in school, or even getting fired from a job. We don't want them to go through pain and suffering that can come with failing. We want our children to be happy and successful. Unfortunately they way we often approach failure can keep them from being happy and successful. In this episode, we are looking at how letting your child fail is a good thing. We'll go some o...
Mar 26, 2019•21 min
Joe and his wife Jeni recently co-founded the company SpiresMan, which offers courses to “Teach good men the art of good sex.” Joe is a retired electrical engineer with 25 years of experience, he has an executive MBA From UCSD and holds five US patents. Joe and Jeni have spent the last seven years exploring sexuality, spirituality, and consciousness. He has taught classes and coached men around sexuality for the last three years and is a Certified Orgasmic Meditation Trainer and Coach. 1. How di...
Mar 19, 2019•42 min
You room is always a mess You never listen to me You are so picky with your food. You take so long to get ready If you are human, you might recognize some of these. They are common complaints that parents have. We get frustrated with our children's behavior, so we complain thinking they are going to change. How's that working for you? As a recovering complainer, I'm going to help you stop complaining so you can actually get your kids or whoever you want to listen to you. This works in relationsh...
Mar 12, 2019•12 min
When you find out your going to become a father, one of the 5 thousand questions that will probably go through your head is "am I going to change?" I know I was concerned with how my life was going to be effected. Little did I know that the positive changes would greatly outweighed any negatives that I was worried about. So in this episode, I'm sharing with you how becoming a father changed me When you are going to be become a father, you know things are about to change. You don't know exactly w...
Mar 05, 2019•17 min
When you are a dad to be everyone tells you that you will never get sleep again, you won't have a social life, and you better make some more money because kids are expensive. Well, those are all true. But what about the secret dad to be advice? The tips and tricks that only experienced fathers know. It's the stuff that has never been revealed...at least I couldn't find it on the internet when I looked. We are pulling back the curtain and giving you dad to be tips that nobody tells you If you are...
Feb 26, 2019•16 min
If you have listened to some of our other episodes, you have probably guessed that I operate at a fairly high energy level....I get excited about things....I'm what they would call a "Type A" personality. What often comes along with that personally is very low patience. I hate to wait, I want things done immediately, and I am impatient. Having children sort of messes with that. They seem like they have their own agenda and their own timeline. They do things slowly. Alan, have you had some diffic...
Feb 19, 2019•20 min
Also know as Paternal Postnatal Depression It's a type of depression caused by the process of pregnancy and the birth of the child 25% (1 in 4) Factors that increase risk: - Stress - Financial, relationship - Lack of sleep - history of depression (can be triggered) - family history - Excessive alcohol consumption - Smoking - Poor diet How do you know if you or someone you know is suffering from it? The Center for Disease Control lists the following signs of depression: Feelings of sadness, hopel...
Feb 12, 2019•26 min
This episode is really for the men who find themselves in a situation in which they are part of an unwanted pregnancy or unexpected pregnancy and they are going to be a father. Not so much a happily married many who thought about starting a family and it came a little sooner than expected or you already have a child and you find out a second one is on the way. This is more about a situation in which you just found out a girlfriend or just someone you were intimate with is now pregnant. So what d...
Feb 05, 2019•23 min
You probably fall into one of these two categories: 1) You are a soon to be dad or a new dad and you are concerned that your sex life is going to be different (and not as good) after the baby is born. 2) and then the other group already has a child or multiple children and you are wanting to have sex more often with your wife than they you currently are. Either way, the good news is that we have some tips for you to get a little more attention at home We talk a lot on this podcast about really i...
Jan 29, 2019•24 min
I have never made any mistakes in parenting......said no parent....ever. Parenting and mistakes go hand in hand. I'm going to provide you a little tough love in this podcast. You may not like some of the things what you are going to hear...but you need to hear them. 7 common Parenting mistakes we are all guilty of. We all make parenting mistakes. So if you don't want to contribute to messing up your kid, stop making these mistakes: #1 - Telling them you are proud: Save your comments on this one....
Jan 22, 2019•32 min
As men, we are expected to be strong, to control our emotions, and handle whatever comes our way. Well the part society didn't seem to consider is that we are actually human. Humans get sad, angry, frustrated, and yes...depressed. While life is overall wonderful, we all experience ups and downs. In this podcast, I'm going to share with you some of the techniques & tips I have used to get through the tough times Every person experiences tough times so know that you are not alone. You may have...
Jan 15, 2019•23 min
So in celebrating our 200th episode, I thought it would be fun to review some of our most important topics. We have covered a lot but there are definitely topics that have stood out for me. Before we do that, I wanted to touch on how the podcast and videos have effected me personally. There is no question they have effected me as a parent, a husband, and just me as a person overall. Here's the thing, neither of us claimed to be experts at these topics. But we do have an interest in learning more...
Jan 01, 2019•37 min
